News Release
SIU Terminates Investigation into Injury Sustained by Woman in Sudbury
Case Number: 17-OCI-316
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into the injury sustained by a 19-year-old woman who was arrested by Greater Sudbury Police Service officers in October of 2017.
In the early morning hours of October 28, 2017, police officers arrested the woman at the Downtown Sudbury Transit Terminal. She was taken to the police station and lodged in a cell. At approximately 2:50 a.m., the woman stood on the cement bed and punched the Plexiglas located above the cell doors with her right hand. Upon release the next morning, she attended the hospital and was diagnosed with a fracture of the right hand.
Director Loparco said, “I have terminated the investigation into this incident as the injury the woman sustained was self-inflicted as is evident by a review of the cell video.”
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (municipal, regional and provincial police officers, police officers with the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, special constables with the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service) that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, the Director of the SIU must
- consider whether the official has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
- depending on the evidence, cause a criminal charge to be laid against the official where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid
- publicly report the results of its investigations